The Sequel to the Romance Fantasy Was a Zombie Apocalypse – Chapter 73

-Kkwoor!

Suk-

Deonggang.

Teolseok, degureureu….

The butler swiftly dashed forward, executing a familiar move he had practiced thousands upon thousands of times, and severed the neck of the oncoming zombie.

The now-headless zombie’s head pitifully rolled around on the ground.

Kwazik!

Like crushing a used can for recycling, the butler stomped on it with his boot, smashing it.

“Hmm…”

The butler surveyed the surroundings.

The scene unfolding in the northwest district where the nobility of the royal capital resided was truly bizarre.

Heads were crushed, bodies burned to ashes, eyes pierced through.

Thousands of zombie corpses, each having met their second death in their own grim way, were sprawled across the vast garden and the neatly paved streets in between.

Amidst the street blanketed in death, a young man impeccably dressed in butler’s attire walked serenely, the sound of his shoes echoing.

In a black suit with white gloves, and a red handkerchief tucked into his pocket for a splash of color.

His neatly slicked back hair could only be described as the epitome of a butler straight out of a fictional world.

The butler’s name was Lanit.

As a servant of the House of Herta, he was the personal butler to the only heir of the family, Young Lady Esmela.

“Well… it seems like I’ve wrapped things up here.”

Lanit said as he shook the sword he had drawn, dusting off the blood and returning it to its sheath at his waist.

Today marked exactly three years since he and his lady had been trapped in the royal capital filled with zombies.

Those three years had been enough time to transform a naive boy into a seasoned warrior.

His boyish face from when they first got trapped had now matured into a sharp visage.

Lanit was what one might call a delicate-featured handsome man typically found in a romantic setting, but his sturdy build and broad shoulders gave him an unexpected masculinity (though only Esmela had witnessed it thus far).

“Then shall we head back to report?”

He said, then nimbly leaped onto the roof and set off towards the royal palace.

With agile movements, Lanit dashed across the rooftops.

For an ordinary person, it would’ve been a daunting task, but for Lanit, it was just another mundane stroll.

Maybe that’s why, even while continuously on the move, he unconsciously began to reminisce about the past three years.

The first month trapped in the royal capital had been filled with numerous twists and turns.

Securing food, finding safe hideouts, and dealing with mutant zombies that appeared just when they thought it was safe…

The crisis peaked when a horde of mutant zombies stormed the mansion right after he brought Esmela there at her request.

At that moment, he genuinely thought they were doomed.

Lanit wielded his sword while Esmela defended with her magic, but it was too much for them.

Ultimately, cornered, they managed to escape the mansion in a frantic rush back to the palace after their spirit companion Piyo froze the zombies’ movements.

They barely made it inside the palace, but Lanit couldn’t shake off the unease growing in his heart.

Among the mutant zombies were some particularly skilled at hunting down living humans.

Their search range stretched an incredible 1 km.

Even the expansive palace, surrounded by high walls and appearing safe, would fall into its detection area if it simply got close enough.

At that moment, Lanit resolved to abandon the complacency he had harbored until then.

The very first thing he did was move their living quarters underground, far from the zombies’ detection range.

Esmela grumbled at the suggestion of staying in a gloomy basement instead of the lavish bedroom where nobles typically resided, but she didn’t actively oppose what Lanit was doing.

Afterwards came the training. Endless training.

The time remaining after handling the necessary labor for survival—like searching for supplies in the royal capital, farming for self-sufficiency, or tackling other small chores—was all dedicated to rigorous self-discipline.

Esmela taught Lanit magic, while Lanit put her through physical training, increasing the intensity of their previous practice.

Of course, Esmela couldn’t escape that intense training either.

Being a magical genius, she didn’t need to undergo the same mana enhancement training that Lanit called “mana torture” (meant to increase Esmela’s mana capacity).

However, her physical abilities were much weaker than Lanit’s, so he rigorously trained her.

The zombies didn’t avoid the weak. In fact, they tended to be more aggressive towards humans they deemed weaker.

Amazingly, despite Lanit pushing her like a strict instructor, Esmela didn’t complain even once.

Perhaps she had come to understand through the ordeal of the zombie incident. Lanit speculated as he watched her roll about tirelessly under his guidance with a fond smile.

So the two became teachers to each other, advancing together.

Their sole objective: to survive against those wretched zombie creatures.

No, surviving wasn’t enough.

They needed to become capable of actively hunting those monsters down.

Coexistence in this trapped situation was impossible.

And as a result of their training…

[Name: Lanit / Gender: Male / Age: 20 years / Job: Personal Butler of the House of Herta]

[HP: 1421/1560] [MP: 400/920]

[Status: Normal]

[Buff/Debuff: None]

[Detailed Status]

[Strength: A+] [Agility: S-] [Durability: A+]

[Mana Amount: B+] [Mana Manipulation: A-]

[Intelligence: C+] [Skill: B-]

[Special Skills]

[Memory Inheritance: Retains memories from a past life. / No level-up possible]

[Protagonist: Indicates that he is the protagonist in {Romance in Arkeisia~Love and Dead~}. / No level-up possible]

[Flame of Herta: Can partially use the vision fire magic of House Herta due to contract. / Level 3]

[System Eye: Can use the menu interface and check the statuses of other characters or monsters. / Level 4]

[Zombie Hunter: Receives additional boosts to all status while facing zombies. / No level-up possible]

…

Confirming his growth once again through the status screen right in front of him, Lanit couldn’t contain a satisfied smile.

Clack. Clack.

Lanit climbed up the castle walls, using the protruding bricks as footholds.

Previously, he would enter through the underground passages, but with his enhanced physical prowess, it was now just a matter of skipping the underground route to get to the palace faster.

Thud.

As Lanit lightly landed on the sandy ground, someone approached him.

As usual when returning home, he greeted her.

“I’ve returned, Young Lady.”

“Yes. Good job.”

Esmela responded to Lanit’s greeting with words of encouragement, just as always.

Unlike the Lanit who had grown unrecognizably, Esmela had changed little over the past three years.

Still, her flowing auburn twin tails, radiant white skin, and crimson lips remained all the same.

Even the figure that could be glimpsed above her loosely worn shirt was unmistakably charming.

Yet, Lanit felt a change in her.

Not in appearance, but in her inner self.

As mentioned before, since experiencing the mutant’s onslaught, the frequency of her whining had drastically decreased.

She no longer hid behind Lanit.

After having learned swordsmanship from him, she faced the monsters directly, standing back to back with him instead of just supporting him from behind.

Of course, she still cast spells.

However, Esmela rejected her previous method of simply showering powerful magic, and began to pursue more finesse.

And through countless actual battles, her combat style ultimately led her to forge a unique domain—the magic swordsman—a concept that hadn’t even existed in the world of [Roinah].

Whenever she engaged in battles against zombies, she would forgo her signature drill hair and tie it back into a tight ponytail.

Leaping fearlessly into combat against the zombies, Lanit would occasionally steal glances at her without her knowing.

Naturally, her growth manifested in her stats as well.

[Name: Esmela Herta / Gender: Female / Age: 27 years / Job: Noble Lady of the House of Herta]

[Detailed Status]

[HP: 910/920] [MP: 2410/2410]

[Strength: B+] [Agility: A-] [Durability: B]

[Mana Amount: S] [Mana Manipulation: S+]

[Intelligence: A] [Skill: B+]

[Special Skills]

[Flame of Herta: As the sole heir of House Herta, can expertly wield the inherited flame magic passed down through generations. / Level 6]

[Magic Genius: Indicates natural talent for magic. Provides a one-step status boost to Mana Amount and Mana Manipulation. / No level-up possible]

[Arrogant Villainous Noble Lady: Indicates she is the villainous noble lady in the main route of {Romance in Arkeisia~Four Jewels~}. Provides additional boosts to all stats during the main story of [Roinah]. / No level-up possible]

[Zombie Hunter: Receives additional boosts to all stats while facing zombies. / No level-up possible]

[Magic Swordsman: The first appearance of this concept in the history of the Kingdom of Arkeisia. Combines magic and swordsmanship, overwhelming enemies with dazzling techniques. HP and MP receive additional stats based on Strength/Agility/Durability and Mana Amount/Mana Manipulation. / No level-up possible.]

…

“You have grown splendidly, my lady.”

Reading her stat screen once more, Lanit couldn’t suppress his rising emotion and ended up praising her without thinking.

“…? Did you eat something wrong?”

Of course, Esmela’s sharp tongue was as sharp as ever.

“No, it’s just that…”

“Stop with the nonsense. So, how was the northwest district?”

Esmela asked with an expectant look in her eyes.

“Yes, I’ve just finished clearing it out. It’s time to leave the palace and return to the Herta mansion, Young Lady Esmela.”